Thursday, October 9, 2014

G is for Genderqueer

Our first G word is genderqueer. Genderqueer is a catch all term for all non-binary
gender identities. There are five main areas
where people identify outside the binary:

~ overlapping or indefinite line between the genders (demigender,
androgynous)

~ multiple genders (bi-gender, tri-gender, pan-gender)

~ no gender/gender neutral (neutrois)

~ fluctuating between genders (gender fluid)

~ a third gender or something else all together

Because they identify outside the cisnormative binary there
are almost infinite ways genderqueer people identify and label themselves. I will get more into these specific identifications
when we get to the right letter. Genderqueer
people, like all gender non-conforming people, often face intense
discrimination and hostility in society.

How does this affect intersex people? Well, as I have said time and time again,
intersex people can and do identify many different ways, including genderqueer
identities. If you believe gender
identity is biologically derived you would expect all intersex people to be
genderqueer, and many are, but many are not.

Because the cisnormative mainstream culture has trouble telling the
difference between sex and gender, and intersex and transgender, we get all
sorts of assumptions and identities forced at us, often to support, or disprove political
ideologies. It is important to be clear
about your identity and educate others about it so we don’t become a pawn in
gender politics (more on this when I get to the letter P, so keep reading as I blog my way through the alphabet).